Device for severing and applying stamps or the like to envelopes or other surfaces



Sept 9 1924. l 3,508,057

F. KAsPAR DEVICE FOR SEVERING AND APPLYING STAMPS 0R THE LIKE TO BNVELOPES OR OTHER SURFACES Filed Aug. 20,

.Patented Sept i9, 119249 n'nvon ron siivnnrive aan arrifrrris snai/irs on. 'rrr-n Linn 'rio neivnponnsop o'riinn snnracns.

T0 all iii/7mm t ymay concern.'

Be it 'known that I, FRANZ KAsrAR, citizen of Czechoslovakia, residing at Havlickovo Nainesti c. 2, Prague, Czechoslovakia, have invented a new and useful Device for Severing and Applying Stamps or the like to Envelopes or' Other Surfaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention lrelates to devices for severing stamps, labels and the like from strips and affixing them to envelopes and similar articles.

In United States Patent No. 1,388,817 I have vdescribed a device of this kind in which the feeding of the strip of stamps or the like wound. up in the form of a roll and adapted to be severed and stuck in position is effected by a roller provided with teeth, the teeth being adapted to engage with the perforations which separate the separate stamps or the like from each other. This device, however, has the disadvantage thatr it is only capable of being used for stamps of a particular size and with particular perforations so that it is necessary to change the feed device when stamps of dierent dimensions are used.

This disadvantage is obviated according to the present invention by reason of the fact that the feeding of the stamps or the like is effected by a kind of brush so that the device can be used for any size of stamps or the like without its being necessary to change the feed device.

Constructional embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic and fragmentary sectional elevation of part of a stamp severing and afHXing machine prof vided with va vfeedingA member in accordance with the invention and in which itis to be assumed that the operating handle is de# pressed.

Figure 2 shows a somewhat different construction partly in side elevation and partly' in section with the handle in the` normal position and Figure 3is a front elevation. 'The implement itself is identical with that' described' in the hereinbefore mentioned patent and consists mainly of two parts,

viz: the: frame 1 and the punch 2, the latter tos-,057

Application led August 20, 1923. `Seriai No. 658,421'.

movement within saidy frame.

To the frame there is affixed a horizontal` being mounted for vertical reciprocating' pin 72 on which is fulcrum'edthe upperyend of a lever 13f having spaced, upper and lower fingers 15 and 14, and also having an' elongated his 16; the upper finger' lbens" provided with an inwardly-extendingter? minal 572. The pin 72l has coiled it a compressed or tensioned spring which presses' lever. 13 laterally against the ra'nie,

3 (Fig. 1) by means of thescrewv 10 inflexiblel holder 4 which carries the feed brush 7 consisting of a number of resilient thin rods placed side byv side and having their lower ends bent. this construction the holder and brush are flexible as a whole. ln the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the holder itselfis rigid. i

The punch 2 is provided withv a guidepiece 517, which is'mountedto ys ligileinfaislot 6 formedin' the frame, and is ,further provided with a tubular stem 8 fitting'ina gui, e` sleeve 11 and terminating in a suitable knob orA handle 'The punch is normally .maintained in elevated position by a springnot shown `and a pad may be employed .to

cushion the punch at the limit of its upward movement. n

The moistener 3. is operated by the punch through the intermediary .of a roller 12"' 211137 tached to thel guide l57'; said`rollerbeing".

:FRANZ Kasraa. oie reason, cznonosi.ervaar-,e\y

designed to travel valong inneredgeslof the fingers 15 and 14 on the operatin "l liever 1,3 which are so .curved as to pro', nce a swinging or rocking movement nf said lever in one direction or the other, due to the pressure exerted thereagainst bythe roller, acf' @Ording as thelatter is engaged .with the lower or the up" er finger. Theengagemeiit ofthe roller wit the lower finger is effected' during the'descent of the punch, a'S willl be" l understood; but it does not take place until the last half of the stroke, the roller travelling along the straight edge of the portion of the lever between the two lingers during the rst half of the stroke, at which time the swinging movement of the lever is pre vented by the engagementl of the lug lo with the in-turned end of a keeper 1'4" attached to the stud or axle whereon the roller turns. The keeper disengages said lug just about the time that the roller starts its Y.movement along` the curved edge of the lower finger, and .thereafter the lever is forced outwardly or away from the frame the provision of the lug and keeper thus avoiding premature movement of the operating lever, which latter is stopped at the conclusion of its outward movement by the engagement of the terminal 52 of finger 15 with a lug on the frame, and is retained in such position by the engagement of the nose 19 on the moistener lever 3y with the detent i? on the frame.

The operating lever remains in the posi tion just mentioned during the first half of the succeeding up-stroke of the punch and until roller 12 strikes against the curved edge of the upperr finger 15, whereupon the pressure exerted by the roller against said edge forces the lever to swing back toward the frame into its original position.

The strip S1 of stamps or the like is wound up -ona suitable reel which is disposed within a drum or container 9 having a peripheral opening for the passage of the strip therethrough. After leaving the drum the strip is led through a guide passage constituting one element of the feed mechanism, and then passes through an opening 14 formed in the movable member or knife 51 of the cutting or severing mechanism as subsequently explained to a position beneath the presser pad or member 21 situated on the bottom of the punch.

The improved :feeding mechanism according to this invention comprises a guide pas sage 6, having its lower end suitably shaped, through which is guided a perforated strip of stamps. The front wall of this passage isy provided with a slot extending longitudinally thereof on the upper end of which rests aresilient closing plate 12 of which the lower bent end passes through the passage and extendsto ,the solid rear wall.

v.The bent ends of the feed brush 7 also pass through the slot and extend to the rear wall ofthe passage. In the normal position .of the device these brush ends are almost at the end ofthe passage.

Bydepressing a lever 5 the lower end of the ,closing plate 12 is withdrawn from the rear wall ,of the passage thus exposing the passage into which is now introduced the strip of stampsfto such a distance that the first row .ofvhorizontal perforations lies adjacent the lower edge of the closing plate.

bears against the rear wall thus strip of stamps.

cred feedino' mechanism operates substantially as follows i-Upon depression of the handle of the punch 2, the guide oassage 6 together with the stri) of stamps (shown in chain dotted lines) moves past the feed brush of which the lower ends are ground olf in such a manner that they do not engage with the perforations when the strip of stamps is moved past them, @n further depression the feed brush passes over the retaining device 12 holdingthe strip of stamps.

On the succeeding return movement of the punch 2 the passage 6 together with the strip of stamps again moves upwards, whereby some of tie rods of the feed brush 7 engage with their ends in the perfora-v tions of the strip of stamps 9 whilst the remaining brush rods, which do not endirectly with perforations, press the strip of stamps against the rear wall of the passage and prevent the stamps from being threaded on the rods passing into the perforations. The mechanism by which the stamps or sections of paper are sere fl is the same as that described in aforementioned patent and comprises, in addition to the knife a second knife 41 which is rigidly fixed to the punch, as will be apparent from Fig. 2, and with respect to which the knife 51 is movable. The knife 41 terminates approximately flush withl the under face of pad 21, but the movable knife 51 projects some distance below said pad and is pressed yieldingly downward by the action of a spring and, at the same time, is pressed against the fixed knife b v suitable means. The spring exerts its downward pressure directly against a laterally projecting lug which is integrally or otherwise rigidly connected with knifei and which has a depending finger that rests upon the adjacent end of the resilient chann nel member 37, the pressure of said spring being` sufficient to flex the channel member downward and thereby bring its mouth di rectly opposite the opening 14 lformed in knife 51. The member 37 is preferably conr structed of thin flexible or resilient metal, and is fastened at its rear end by means of screws 37 or the like to the punch. 1When the punch descends', the cutting mechanism moves with it` the two knives remaining relatively stationary until the'lower edge ofknife 51 strikes against the wall of support or table. Thereafter, during the continued movement of the punch, knife 51 will be forced upward against the action of the spring and as said knife yields, the channel member 37 also moves upward, carrying the strip with it into position to be ultimately severed by the Acoaction be tween the two knives. During the subsequent return movement of the punch, the knife 51 is restored to its former position under the action of the `spring and at the same time the resilient channel member 8"? is again pressed down into position to aline its mouth with the opening in said knife.

The complete operation, briefly stated is as follows: During the first half of the down-stroke of the punch, the operating lever 13 is held against movement by the engagement of the keeper 17 with lugs 16, and just when the disengagement of those two parts takes place, the roller 12 com mences its travel along the curved upper edge of the lower finger 14 on said lever. This has the effect of camming the lever outwardly of the frame 1 of the implement, during which movement the moistener 3 moves outwardly along with said lever, the pad 22 thereon being pressed against the under surface of the stamp by the action of a spring and drawn along said surface. The outward movement of the lever continues until the pad has left the stamp and the nose 19 of the moistener has been brought into engagement with the lip or detent 47 on the frame, the stopping of the lever being effected by the engagement of the terminal 52 with lug 49. During the continued movement of the punch, the moistened stamp is pressed against the topmost envelope on the pile by the pad .21, and is severed from the strip by the coaction between the fixed and movable knives 41 and 51 as the latter knife ascends the two operations taking place close together by the lug 62.

When the pressure upon the punch is removed a spring forces the punch upward and during this stroke the movable knife 51 and the channel member 37 resume their former positions while some of the rods of the feed brush 7 engage with their ends iu the perforations of the strip of stamps 31 to unwind stamps from the roll. The operating lever 13', during the first part of the 11p-stroke of the punch remains in the position into which it was moved during the preceding down-stroke of the punch; but during the lasthalf of the Lip-stroke the roller 12 on the punch,v engages the upper finger on the lever and thereupon forces the latter, and with it the moistener 3. to move inwardly toward the frame this movement of the moistener disengaging its nose 19 from the detent 47 which thereupon engages the Vroller 46 when the f lever completes its inward movement. The implement is then ,ready for anotheroperation.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A device of the class described for severing and aHiXing postage stamps, labels and the like supplied in strip form com prising in combination with the casing of the device a feed brush consisting of separate resilient small rods placed side by side and having their ends bent and suit-l ably ground off, a fixed holder for said brush, a movable plunger having a strip guiding passage formed therein and a resilient strip-retaining device, the brush ends sliding in the said passage and on the re` ing the latter thus unrolling the strip from its roll, the said strip being already held in the upper part of the passage by the pressure of the aforesaid resilient strip retaining device against the rear wall of the said passage. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the holder of the feeding brush is flexible.

` FRANZ KAS'PAR.

Witness-2 S. HUTTING. 

